Prophesized
by Mandy Hartzler
Summary: Slightly AU. Eugenie decides not to keep her secret from Dorian, but everything gets tangled when the goddess of death starts taking an active interest in Eugenie's life. Post-Shadow Heir, so spoilers for all 4 books. Dorian & Eugenie. R&R
1. Chapter 1

**AN: So after much internal debate, and much pondering over Storm Queen reviews and your answers to my request, I decided to follow up on Shadow Heir. I thought over where I was taking Storm Queen, and realized that, other than the parentage of the twins, and the entire Pagiel thing, both the post-Shadow Heir and Storm Queen stories would end up in pretty much the same place, which meant that, as far as plots went, I really could only keep one of them going, because my idea for both of them was so similar. And anyway, the biggest problem we all seem to have was with the ending of Shadow Heir, and I want you all to forget Eugenie even thinking about not telling Dorian while reading this. My version of Eugenie isn't that thickheaded ;)**

**Thank you to everyone who commented, and thanks for all your patience; this time I promise to go right to the end, and am really excited about my plans for this story.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>I disentangled myself from Dorian when I felt our audience growing too happy. Just because I was happy in his arms didn't mean I wanted to make his entire court happy with a peep-show now. I might have finally accepted my gentry heritage, but there was still a long way to go before I ever – if I ever did, that is – got over my modesty over my own body.<p>

Dorian chuckled slightly, as though reading my mind, and I smiled up at him. Looking up into his lovely eyes, so like Isaac's, I remembered the book that the Reeds had given me before I left, and my smile grew. Maybe I wouldn't tell him about the twins right now, but I could at least make him feel like he was a part of their world. I gently tugged on his hand, and started pulling him towards the castle, not wanting to show him the pictures with so many people looking. Safe they may be right now, but I was not going to risk our children's safety like that.

Misinterpreting my reasoning behind my pulling – although I wasn't, of course, entirely against his idea, either – Dorian gave me a sultry smile. Shaking my head, I poked at him.

"Get you mind out of the gutter. I want to show you something."

He looked confused. "And you can't show me here?" he asked, gesturing with his free hand.

I shook my head quickly. "I'd rather not, for… safety reasons."

He seemed to understand what I was getting at, and his eyes suddenly shone so brightly, it was almost painful to look into them and not blurt out the truth. I bit my tongue, though, and kept quiet. I was starting to think my resolution wouldn't last much longer, if things kept up at this rate.

"Is it… news?" he asked, sounding breathless, and suddenly, I wasn't the one pulling him along anymore; instead, he was all but dragging me to his chambers, and I had to smile at his enthusiasm to know more about our children.

"Of a kind," I said, he towed along the corridor leading to his room. Once safely inside, he locked the door, and I put my bag down, and pulled the photo album out of it, walking over to the bed, and patting the space next to me.

He came to sit beside me, eyeing the book curiously. "What is that?" he inquired.

"It's a photo album," I told him. He looked at me quizzically, and I sighed, trying to decide how to explain it. "It's like… a book full of small portraits. Only the portraits are taken with a small device, instead of painted by hand. The pictures are exact replicas of what the camera is pointed at, with no room for mistakes, like with paintings. It's much more exact."

He seemed satisfied by my explanation, so I opened the book, and passed it over to him. Watching him look through the book, I took out a Milky Way bar from my pocket and munched on it, settling back against his chest.

Dorian looked down at me and away from the book for a moment, amused. "Those things are like a drug to you, you know."

I shot him a look. "Don't pretend you didn't like them yourself; I remember when you first ate one, you know," I said smirking.

"Ah yes, when you refused, quite horridly, I might add, to eat any of the food I offered you."

I shrugged, a small smile tugging at my lips as I remembered that time when my biggest problem was trying to rescue an unwilling Jasmine. "I didn't know I was half gentry back then, and wasn't about to take any chances. Persephone made her mistake; I wasn't about to follow her example," I said, and then frowned. I might not have eaten anything then, but the end result had turned out to be the same for both of us: tied to a king in a world not entirely our own, and thus torn between two worlds; a queen in one, and a normal girl in the other. The similarities were enough to disturb me.

If Dorian noticed anything weird about my sudden thoughtfulness, he didn't mention it, going back to the photo album in his hands, and happily exclaiming over every new picture, for which I was glad, because I had also been thinking of the time I'd met Persephone. It wasn't something I thought of very often these days, as it seemed to have been so long ago. So much had happened between then and now, that I had almost forgotten what I'd gone to do when I met the goddess of the underworld. I'd gone to try and save Kiyo from death's clutches, and she'd finally relinquished him to me. I had been so desperate to save him, I'd agreed to die for him to live, but in the end, she'd let us both go. I remembered her parting words, as clear as though it had been only yesterday, though… _"Go back. Go back to your dual existence. I will see you again someday, and then you will stay. Keep your love. I have no use for it anymore."_

While I loved Dorian deeply, some part of me wondered how a love like the one I'd had for Kiyo could suddenly turn into distrust and even fear. I wondered if Persephone had somehow known Kiyo and I would end up separated, one way or another, and if that was why she hadn't insisted I stay away from him as she had at first.

Thinking of Kiyo, made me then remember I had a confession to make to Dorian. When he closed the book with a happy sigh, I crumpled the wrapping of the Milky Way in my hands, and sighed.

"What did you think?" I asked quietly.

I could hear the smile in his voice, though he sounded wistful. "They're beautiful, Eugenie, truly."

Leaning away from him a little, so I could see his face, I smiled up at him happily, knowing full well what I was about to give him. I'd just opened my mouth to speak, when there was a knock on the door, and Dorian made as if to get up, but I held him down, shaking my head.

"Not now," I told him softly. "I want to tell you something, and I want to say it now."

He looked at me, confusion written across his face, but told the servant to go away, and that we were not to be bothered. I heard footsteps moving down the hall, then turned back to look at the father of my children. I smiled brightly at him.

"What is it, Eugenie?"

"A few weeks ago, as I was shopping in Tucson before coming back here, Kiyo found me." I felt him tense behind me, and quickly laid a hand on his chest. He didn't relax, though, so I just went on. "He told me something very interesting."

Dorian lifted an eyebrow at that, as though doubting anything Kiyo had to say could be interesting, but I just smiled back at him, stroking him cheek tenderly.

"He said he'd had a vasectomy after Luisa was born," I said brightly, but my happiness faded a little at Dorian's confused expression.

"What's that?"

"It's a thing human men do so that they can't have kids."

He frowned at me. "Why would anyone want to do that?"

I simply shrugged. He was still looking puzzled, though, so I sighed. "Dorian, he had the vasectomy done soon after Luisa was born."

Dorian looked at me, a slight frown still on his face as he contemplated someone not wanting kids, but when he finally registered my words, a look of wonder spread over his face as he took in my giddy expression.

He looked back down at the book in his hands, and a beautiful smile took over his face, his expression hopeful as he turned to look back at me.

"Congratulations, Daddy."

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><p><strong>AN: Whew! I'm so excited about the direction I want to take this in, so please let me know your thoughts, and I'll try to put a chapter per week. We'll see how that works...<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Chapter 2! I know it's not very long, and I did think about going on, but then it would have come out too big, and tiring, so...**

**Thank you to everyone who already reviewed! I'm so glad the idea seems to please you all. Hope you enjoy this one, too.  
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**Don't own anyone; all amazing characters belong to Richelle Mead, I'm just having some fun with them ;)**

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><p>As I watched, Dorian's face turned from confused to shocked, to ecstatic within seconds.<p>

"They're mine? Truly?"

Smiling softly, I grabbed his cheek with one hand, and turned his face so he was looking at me instead of the photo album. "Yes, Dorian. They're ours."

His smile was so bright it was almost blinding. "When will they come here, then?"

I hesitated, and looked away. "I'm not sure…"

"Well, the sooner the better, yes?"

I shook my head. "Dorian," I said, getting up and pacing beside the bed. "I'm not sure they should come here. Not now, at least. Not for a few years."

His golden-green eyes bore into my own violet ones. "What are you saying, Eugenie?" he asked, his voice cold.

"I'm saying I don't know what to do, Dorian! Just because Pagiel was the firstborn son of one of Storm King's daughters, doesn't mean that people won't still target Isaac. And they could use Ivy to get to us – or to him. Bringing them here, to the Otherworld, will only be exposing them to unnecessary danger. They are safe and hidden right now, and as much as it kills me to not have them with me, I also know that it is for their own good."

"Well surely, as father, I have a say in that, too?"

I sighed, and stopped my pacing in front of the window. Almost a year ago, I had stood in this very same place, watching our troops prepare to go to battle over my honor. I rested my head against the cool glass.

"I know what you'll say – what you want," I shook my head slightly, staring out the window without really seeing anything. "I'm just so worried about them, Dorian. They can't protect themselves now, and we can't stay with them 24/7. Remember Jasmine? No one was supposed to be able to touch her, and then she was kidnapped. What if they did that to Ivy? Or Isaac? I'm willing to bet they wouldn't be so hospitable if they got Isaac alone and unprotected…"

I felt Dorian come up behind me. "Then we'll just have to make sure no one gets them," he breathed against my neck.

I shivered when his warm breath tickled the back of my neck, and turned to look at him. "I'll never be able to forgive myself if something happens to them, Dorian."

"Eugenie," he said sternly, grabbing both of my shoulders in his hands. "Nothing will happen to them. Not ever. Do you understand me?"

"So then they'll have to grow up being followed all over the place by guards? What kind of a childhood is that?"

Dorian shrugged. "Try to imagine you're a child, and someone gives you a choice; to live with your parents, being loved and cared for, even if it means no privacy or growing up with strangers, without knowing your real parents because it's safer like that. What would you choose?"

I paused. I hadn't thought of it the way he put it. I knew any child would choose to grow up with their parents, even if it meant being followed by guards every waking hour of the day. And even though this wasn't about what any of us wanted, but about keeping them safe, what would happen in a few years, when they finally met us? Would they resent us for staying away to keep them safe? Would we ever feel like a real family, after having been separated for so long?

Taking advantage of my silence, Dorian stroked my cheek tenderly. "And what about when their magic starts manifesting?"

I snapped my head up to meet his eyes. "What?"

He smiled softly. "Eugenie, even if they weren't my kids; even if the kitsune was the father, they'd still be your children. You're powerful enough to rule two kingdoms without a problem. And they're not the kitsune's, so they have a lot of magical genes in them. They won't be able to control their magic, and how would the humans understand what was happening?"

I paled. "I hadn't thought about that," I muttered.

He smiled impishly at me. "I know. Which is why you should have talked to me about this, Eugenie."

I sighed. "When do gentry kids usually start showing signs of magic?"

He shrugged. "It varies from kid to kid and from family to family. Some start the day they are born; others take as long as seven years to start. It's impossible to know, but considering who we are…"

I groaned. "My mother will kill me if I so much as suggest bringing them here."

He chuckled, and hugged me tight. "They'll be fine here, Eugenie. I promise you I will never let anything bad happen to our children."

"I have to think about this, Dorian."

He looked down at me, and then nodded. "But don't think too long; remember, they might already be cooking up storms."

I groaned again. "Or burying the entire town under stones."

He smiled down at me. "Yes, I guess they could be doing that," he whispered. "I can't wait to meet Thundro."

I gave him the evil eye. "His name is Isaac, Dorian. And don't forget you have a daughter, too."

His eyes turned dreamy, as he continued to smile down at me. "A daughter." He hugged me tighter to him, and I smiled back up at him, happy that he seemed to amazed by the mere idea. "Thank you, Eugenie Markham," he whispered silkily in my ear, making shivers go down my spine again.

"For what?" I mumbled as he started kissing down my neck, making me grasp his soft hair in my hands so I'd stay up, as my knees felt like they were about to buckle.

"For giving me," he said between feather-light kisses all over my face and neck. "The chance of being a father. You have no idea how much it means to me; how much _you_ mean to me."

"Mmmm," I sighed contentedly as he finally found my mouth with his. Pulling back slightly, I smiled at him. "I'm just glad they're yours," I whispered against his mouth, and felt his own curve up in a smile.

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><p><strong>AN: Slow chapter, but I had to show them figuring out what to do with the twins. Next one will be longer, and not so slow, promise!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Forgive the delay; I've been going to the movies far too much lately, to watch Hunger Games, and the fangirling just took over for some time. Anyway, here you go, and thanks again to all who reviewed! It's definitely a boost to write more! Enjoy.**

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><p><em>You have a debt to settle with me, Eugenie Markham.<em>

"Persephone?" I asked weakly. I was pretty sure I was sleeping, which would explain why the goddess of death was in front of me. She looked exactly as she had the last time I had seen her, but her eyes were no longer warm or sad; now they were dead like her own realm. Dream-me shivered.

She nodded. When _we last met, you begged me to release the man you wanted, claiming you loved him. Yet you have born twins to another._

I'd forgotten how unsettling it was to talk to her. She didn't actually open her mouth, but her voice was in my head, as though she was speaking right by my ear.

I took a deep breath, and let it out slowly, trying to find a way to explain the situation to her. "I did love Kiyo, so much… then. He understood me like no one else could." I paused, then shrugged. "But he tried to kill me when I refused to end the pregnancy of kids I thought were his – I didn't even know Dorian was the father at that time!"

_Yes. But he is. So before he tried to kill you, you had already stayed from him._

I hesitated, but she already knew so much. She likely just wanted to hear me say it. "He refused to take revenge on the man who raped me – repeatedly. I didn't think he did the right choice."

Persephone sighed. _You do not understand the enormity of bringing a person beck from the dead, Eugenie. It marks both souls forever. You may not be in love anymore, but your lives are entwined in such a way that, should one die, the other will follow._

I sat bolt upright in bed, my eyes wide, scanning the dark room, my heart still beating fast. Dorian stirred beside me, and opened his eyes lazily. He took in my face which can't have been too great, since he sat up, concern all over his expression.

"What's wrong?"

I shook my head mutely.

"Eugenie?" he touched my shoulder with a hesitant hand. "What is it?"

I swallowed once. "Bad dream…"

He didn't say anything, just kept on looking at me worriedly. I took a few deep breaths before turning to look at him.

"Dorian, can… can gods and goddesses visit dreams?" I asked, my voice low and terrified. I was seriously hoping he'd say no, but there was really no reason why my subconscious would create such a conversation. Most of my nightmares these days revolved around losing the twins, or someone hurting them while I was unable to help them. Why, suddenly, would it give me that? It made no sense.

Dorian eyed me strangely. "It has been known to happen, though it is rare. Apparently the gods don't deem us good enough for frequent visits. Why?"

I swallowed the huge ball of cotton in my throat. "I need some water," I croaked.

He didn't argue, just leaned over to the jug by the bed and poured me a goblet of water, handing it over in silence, his eyes never leaving my face for long.

After I downed the water, I felt a little better – at least my throat no longer felt like the Sahara. "It was Persephone…" I muttered. Beside me, Dorian stiffened. I shook my head, lost in my thoughts. "She said…" I sighed, then turned to look at him again, crawling into his arms. He hugged me to his chest tightly, and I leaned back against him, resting my cheek on his chest.

"What did she say, Eugenie?" there was a weird edge to his voice, one I didn't hear very often. He was scared.

I pressed my hand to his cheek in comfort. "Remember when we killed Aeson, and Kiyo died?" he grunted, and I took that as a yes. "And I went after him…"

"You saved his worthless life," he said stiffly. "Yes, I remember."

I stroked his check again, and looked up from his chest, into his beautiful eyes. "I'd do it for you too, you know," I whispered softly to him. He smiled warmly down at me. I frowned, looking down again. "Even knowing, like I do now, what it entails."

He was quiet for a few seconds. "Entails?" he asked carefully, as though he didn't really want to know the answer.

I closed my eyes, and buried my face in the crook of his neck, gaining courage. "Dorian, I can't kill Kiyo – ever."

Dorian blinked down at me, confused. "Why ever not?"

"Persephone said that bringing someone back to life leaves a mark on both souls involved in the process. So now, if one of us dies, the other one does, too."

The silence after my little speech was so thick you could have heard a pin drop. Dorian's arms tightened around me, and he took a deep, steadying breath.

"That is… unfortunate," he murmured.

I eyed him warily. "Unfortunate?"

He nodded solemnly, his eyes far away. He let his arms fall from around me and reached up to get himself some wine. Apparently water wasn't enough for him. Fear started crawling up my back at his reaction.

"You're going to kill him anyway, aren't you?"

Dorian didn't answer while he poured himself some wine and turned to look at me again, his green eyes inscrutable. He looked at me seriously, and then sighed. "Of course I won't, Eugenie. I could never lose you. Not if I have any say in the matter."

I sighed, feeling stupid I'd even thought it. "So what are you planning?"

"I'm trying to think of a way to explain to my men why, if they find the kistune, they are to bring him alive, without telling everyone that the mother of my children almost died to save that worthless being."

I winced. "I've always been impulsive," I muttered. "You can tell them we want him for ransom, or for questioning…"

Just then, there was a knock on the bedroom door, and Dorian called out "enter!" without even blinking. I dived back under the covers to cover myself, scowling at the Oak King as I went. He winked at me devilishly.

"Your Majesties, the kitsune has been spotted on the east border, close to the Willow Land. The troops want to know if they should follow him, or kill him."

Dorian sighed heavily. "I hate it when my schedule gets pushed up," he grumbled softly and I giggled. He turned his eyes back to the servant at the door. "Tell them to do neither. I don't want him dead, no matter how much he struggles. If anyone kills him, they will pay with their lives. Bring him back alive."

The servant looked perplexed, but didn't comment, and bowed prettily. "Yes, Your Majesty."

As soon as she had left, I sat back up. "Well, that came out fast."

"That's the easy part. It's when they start wondering why I don't want him killed that it gets harder," he said grimly.

I nodded once. "I'm sorry," I said softly, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder.

He looked at my hand, a small smile playing in the corner of his mouth. "It's done. Now come on, we have two kids to pick up from the human world!" he said, throwing me over his shoulder and carrying me out of the bed to where a tub full of hot water waited. I squealed as he dumped me unceremoniously into the tub, and came back up sputtering in outrage.

He stood by the side of the tub, smirking. I narrowed my eyes at him, and suddenly, half the water of the tub jumped out of the tub and plunged down on him, soaking him to the bone.

I climbed out of the tub deftly, passing by a shocked Dorian, and purred. "Enjoy your bath, Your Majesty," before scampering off to put on some clothes, already dry, while he stood dripping water beside the tub, looking after me with a mix of shock and pride in his eyes.

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><p><strong>AN: Thanks for the reminder that powers don't always pass down gentically - especially in strength. It had slipped my mind :)<strong>

**See you in the next chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: I'm guilty of so many things, and right now, one of them involves slacking on updating this. no more! Thank to all who reviewed, and reminded me it had been a while! ;)**

**Disclaimer: I own no one and nothing, I'm just having some fun with Richelle's world.**

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><p>"So, wait, let me see if I got this straight - you want to barge into the human world with a huge entourage to bring back two kids?" I asked, not even trying to hide the annoyance in my voice now.<p>

Dorian looked at me, eyes wary. "Yes, why?"

I shook my head. "I will not be responsible for taking so many gentry into the human world. If anyone goes at all, it will be Rurik, and only him."

"Rurik alone cannot protect you and -"

"I can protect myself and my children just fine, thanks."

"Then at least let me go with you," he insisted. We'd been at this for hours already, and weren't anywhere closer to finding an option that pleased everyone.

"Absolutely not," Shaya spoke up. "One of you two has to stay here, and Eugenie insists on going…"

"What if I insist too?" Dorian pressed.

Three pairs of eyes turned to him, trying to gauge how serious he was. I hoped to hell he was bluffing.

"I can handle cars, trains and airplanes, Dorian. None of you gentry can do that. And I still don't want to just drop into the town unannounced; it might draw unnecessary attention to the family that is taking care of the twins. They've been so good to me, I really didn't want to do that to them."

"You will not go alone, Eugenie," Dorian stated, finality ringing in his tone.

"Fine," I grumbled. "But if you say I should take Kyio with me again, I'm doing this my way."

Shaya and Rurik chuckled, and quickly turned their laughs into coughs when Dorian gave them a hard stare. "Very funny, Eugenie," he muttered. "But I learned my lesson the first time, I think."

I repressed a smile at his disgruntled look. "You reap what you sow," I crooned, and his frown deepened. "How about I take Jasmine with me? She's been dying to see her little niece and nephew."

Dorian nodded reluctantly. "Take her, and Rurik, Shaya and I will be waiting on the other side of the passage closest to the town."

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><p>Roland wasn't happy with my decision to take the twins back to the Otherworld, but relented pretty fast when I explained to him about the potential problem that their powers might present, and got me the plane tickets I'd need. Before I flew over to get them, I stopped for one night in Tucson to reload on weapons, and have a quick chat with Lara and Tim.<p>

After Roland dropped me off in front of my house, making me feel like a teen all over again, I walked in, a little weary of what I'd find. I'd been spending more and more time in the Otherworld lately, and Tim and Lara had, understandably, kind of taken over the house. Which was what I wanted to talk about with them, anyway. But last time I'd been here, I'd found plenty of incriminating evidence of their romantic escapades, and the last thing I wanted was to actually walk in one of them now.

"Hello?" I asked, walking in with caution, and peeking around. Tim was standing behind the stove in only his jeans. I breathed a sigh of relief that he wasn't in his birthday suit as he turned around at the sound of my voice.

"Eug? Oh my god, Eug!" he exclaimed, a huge smile on his face. "What are you doing here?"

I shot him a dry look. "I know I'm not here that much, but it is still my house, you know."

He didn't even look phased, and shrugged, turning back to the stove. "Yeah, whatever. Did you fight with your boyfriend?"

"Who says I have a boyfriend?" I asked, amused.

"Yeah, right. You think I forgot Kyio?"

"Oh. Him."

He turned back to look at me, frowning. "That didn't sound too good for him."

I grinned. "I wish. It's not that simple."

"When's love ever simple?"

"True," I conceded. "But that's not why I'm here."

"See? I knew you had to be here for a reason. You never come just because you missed me, I've noticed."

"How could I not miss your fabulous cooking, Tim?"

"Is that all I ever was for you? I thought what we had was magical, honey."

I rolled my eyes at his theatrics, and just then Lara walked into the kitchen. "What you had with who was magical, Tim?" she asked, her eyes narrowed.

He held his hands up in surrender.

"Hey, Lara," I called to her from my seat on one of the chairs against the far wall of the kitchen, where she hadn't seen me yet, so focused on her boyfriend.

"Oh my god, Eugenie!" she squealed, and ran to hug me. I just had time to stand up before she barrelled into me.

"It's great to see you too, Lara."

"Was this who you were talking to, Tim?" she asked once she let me go.

I chuckled. "Yeah. You don't have to worry about him."

Lara blushed. "What are doing here, Eugenie?" she asked.

"Geez," I muttered. "If I hadn't seen your faces when you saw me, I'd think you weren't happy I'm home."

Both of them looked guilty, and started stammering. Tim shook his head. "It's just that lately, you're never home, and when you are, it's because some serious shit is going down. We're just worried about you, Eug."

I smiled at him. "Don't worry. I want to talk to both of you. Shall we?" I asked, motioning to the living room. Tim turned the stove off, and the two followed me into my living room.

"What's wrong?" Lara asked me. She knew better even than Tim what kind of trouble I could get into - she'd worked for me for years, scheduling my jobs as shaman, and knew secondhand what could happen when the supernatural was involved. Of course, she didn't know I as half supernatural myself.

"Nothing, really," I said, settling myself in the couch. "I just wanted to know how you two would feel about officially renting this place from me." There was stunned silence, so I went on. "As both of you pointed out, I'm hardly ever around, so it makes no sense to keep the place. I'm here for a very short time; I leave tomorrow, and I have no idea when - or if - I'll be back anytime soon. I've gotten caught up in some things over there - nothing bad," I added hastily, seeing Lara open her mouth with a frown. "But I can't leave right now. Maybe one day, but I doubt..." I doubted Dorian would ever allow our children to leave his sight, and they were certainly never leaving mine, but I didn't say that. I shrugged. "So I thought, since you two are already living here anyway, why not make it official, right?"

They looked at each other for a second, some sort of silent communication flowing through that look, and then they turned to look back at me. "We'd love it, Eug," Tim said.

I smiled at them. "Great! I'll let Roland know, and he can sort out the paperwork with you two."

"You might have to sign some papers, you know."

I shrugged. "That can be arranged. I'm sure Roland can take them to me in the Otherworld."

Lara's eyes grew huge. "You're really moving... there?"

I smiled softly. "Yeah. I think I was fooling myself thinking I'd be able to split my time between both worlds."

"So you chose that one over this one."

I hesitated. That almost sounded like an accusation. "No, not really..." I sighed. "It's complicated, but it's more like the Otherworld chose me. I have ties there that I can't break."

They seemed to accept that answer, though I could see they were still worried about me, and probably a little disappointed in my new choice of home, but I wouldn't tell them anymore; if anyone came here looking for the Thorn Queen, neither would know who that was, and that would keep them safe, which was all I really wanted them to be.

I slept for what would probably be the last time in my bed, then left the next morning. As I stepped out of the house at sunrise, the air was charged with static, and Jasmine appeared out of thin air in front of me.

My sister's eyes found me, as I took in her dishevelled look and wild eyes. "What happened?"

"Maiwenn," she gasped for air, leaning heavily against me. "Her guard followed me out of the castle. Rurik and your guard held them back while I crossed over." I swore loudly, and she raised her eyebrows at me. "I sure hope you don't use that sort of language around the twins," she told me slyly.

I shot her a murderous glare, but she just smirked at me. "Come on, let's go before Maiwenn follows us back here too."

"Relax, Eugenie. None of her men can get on a plane without dying."

I fixed her with a stared. "None but Kiyo," I said softly, walking to my car as Jasmine paled and hurried to follow me.

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><p><strong>NA: So! There you go.. hope you liked it. Things are starting to pick up now, and I promise update more often ;)<strong>

**Thanks for reviewing and following! Till the next one.**


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